Siobhan Harley, tech-savvy aide to Bob Buckhorn, leaving for political gig in Nashville

Then-campaign aide Siobhan Harley shakes Mayor-elect Bob Buckhorn's hand on election day in 2011. The following day, the Scottish-born Harley took the oath to become a naturalized U.S. citizen and promptly registered to vote.

Siobhan Harley, special assistant to Mayor Bob Buckhorn and a rising star in Tampa Bay area Democratic political circles, is resigning to go to work for a political consulting firm in Nashville.

Harley, who was the first campaign staffer Buckhorn hired when he ran for mayor, is leaving City Hall Friday to take a job as a campaign manager with the Calvert Street Group, which does work in 30 states, plus Canada.

Harley, 25, signed on to Buckhorn's mayoral campaign largely because of his focus on making Tampa a better place for young professionals. After his election, she moved from the campaign to City Hall and is credited with helping Buckhorn spread that message during his two years in office.

"She has been really the force behind the coolness," City Council member Lisa Montelione said. "All of the technology stuff — Foursquare and Twitter — all the social media: it's all her. She really deserves a lot of credit for bringing young individuals to the table and energizing her generation and ... making them feel like they can make a difference."

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